The heart of the arts in Rockland

May/June 2010 issue

Rockland Center
for the Arts

Where the art of the big picture
is always on display

By Paul Clark
Writer, Managing Editor


At Rockland Center for the Arts, one good thing always leads to another. The cutting-edge work of artists from Rockland and beyond creates a steady stream of contemporary expression. That, in turn, provides rich and timely prospects for fresh, original exhibits and performances. All of which leads naturally to educational opportunities for everyone of every age to experience the thrill of creativity for themselves.

Maintaining that seamless, ongoing connection between art itself and education for all is the prime directive at RoCA. And it’s reflected in everything it does. Outdoors among the landscapes and trees, the center’s Catherine Konner Sculpture Park provides equal measures of time and space for absorbing the textural emotions of large-scale forms. Indoors, a wall-to-wall vibe of new and compelling colors, shapes, vantage points and rhythms reverberates in galleries and media project spaces. At the same time, the enthusiastic voices of students and teachers in studio/classrooms are proof positive that the power and promise of art is alive and well. And in very good hands.

“It’s all a lot of work and a lot of fun,” says Executive Director Julianne Ramos, who came to RoCA right out of graduate school 25 years ago, and to this day enjoys the combination of art and business that her job entails. “One of the strongest, advantages we have,” she explains, “is that we’re not a museum. We have no permanent collections to store and care for. We’re a contemporary, non-collecting entity with tremendous flexibility to respond quickly to changes and shifts in the art environment — what interests people now, and what’s important to the community.”

Ensuring a smart, even flow of new art for exhibitions and programs is essential to everything RoCA does, and Artistic Director Lynn Stein is the one who makes it happen. An accomplished artist, performer and marketer in her own right, she sets and maintains standards for everything that’s shown, seen and heard.

Over the last 10 years she has expanded RoCA’s energetic repertoire and well-earned reputation for quality to include a spirited variety of live music and dance, as well as digital, video and audio art. She spends a good deal of time traveling to see who and what’s out there, and investigating proposals for potential exhibits and shows. “We want to attract a wide range of artists, nationally and locally, to show a lot of different thinking,” she says, “but it’s also important that what we bring in — wherever it comes from or how good it is — also provides enough substance to form the basis for education.”

Looking forward, Stein is working busily on an imaginative series of exhibits and videos involving new looks at ceramics, sculpture and urban life and structures, and for the first time in over 12 years, live performances of jazz. “We try to move things a little toward the edge, but still keep it interesting and accessible for everyone. We’re not in the business of pushing people’s buttons,” she laughs, “but we do want them to think.”

Instilling the process of artistic thought is important. And a recent exhibit of contemporary photography provided the perfect opportunity for a group of high school students to think through and experience photography for themselves. “The kids toured the exhibit and studied the photos,” explains Daly Flanagan, RoCA’s School Director. “We talked about subjects, composition and all the other things photographers think about.” Then, working in teams, they composed and took pictures of themselves and each other.”

Instructors then put their shots in a public show called The Portrait Project, and invited everyone, including parents, relatives and friends, to see. “For the students,” she says,“ it came full circle. First they were looking at photographs, then they were the photographs. They learned a lot, and it made them all very proud.”

Over the course of a year Flanagan, who is also a teacher specializing in visual arts, painting and printmaking, manages over 30 teachers and 100 courses and workshops in everything from drawing, painting and fine arts, to ceramics, jewelry and creative writing for adults, teens and kids. She also conducts regular seminars and training for art teachers from schools throughout Rockland County.

In the summer months, RoCA’s renowned Summer Camp teaches and encourages the budding creativity of 200 children ages 5 through 12. Amy Alinkofsky, who worked for several years as a counselor and music teacher, is now the Camp Director and takes full advantage of the studios, classrooms and rich artistic atmosphere that the center provides. “I love working with kids,” Alinkofsky says, “and who knows how something they learn here today will affect our perception of the world a few years from now?”

Of course, without adequate funding, none of these exhibits, performances or programs would be possible, especially in today’s tight economy. Peter Dalto, Development Director, is feeling the squeeze and, needless to say, he’s a busy man these days. It’s his job to raise funds through grant writing, community memberships and tuition, individual donors, corporate and private foundation gifts, and government funds. There’s a lot more asking, and a lot more ‘no’s’ these days,” he admits. “But,” he adds assuredly, “we’re holding our own. You just have to state your case and make sure you’re heard in terms of the things that the arts mean to people. We’re a 63-year-old organization. And a lot of successful people out there got their first exposure to art here. If we’re going to get out of the economic turmoil were in right now, as well as other turmoil around the world, it’s going to take a lot of creative thought. And that’s a big part of what goes on RoCA.”

Finding, funding and presenting good art and making it all work on different levels is no simple task. But thanks to the experience and foresight of the donors, directors, board of directors, teachers and staff at Rockland Center for the Arts, they make it work every day, and make it look easy. “We may appear small in the scheme of things,” says Julianne Ramos, “but we’re a flexible, fresh and high-quality multi-arts center with a lot of good people and lot of good things going on for everyone. In that sense,” she smiles, “we’re not small at all.”

For more information about exhibits, performances, classes and more, go to rocklandartcenter.org

Hiking

September/October issue, 2009

Fall Hiking Trails and Halloween Tales in Harriman

By Paul Clark

No matter where Bob Clinton has lived and traveled he has always found a way and a trail to hike. But by far his favorite places have always been right here in Harriman. And after decades of traversing its many trails and woods roads — on foot, skis, horseback and more — it’s safe to say that he knows Harriman better than just about anyone.

So with that in mind, and especially now with fall’s cooler, crisper climate and jaw-dropping colors fast approaching, who better to point you in the right direction for some truly spectacular hiking — and the chance to soak-in some real Halloween spirit in the process? Here are a few of his suggestions for autumn hiking fun...

If you enjoy the other-worldly sensation of walking through ghost towns and wandering among the spirits, Clinton suggests a hike to Doodletown on the scenic 1777 Revolutionary Trail (a trail that follows the route of British troops on their march from Stony Point to attack American forces at Forts Montgomery and Clinton in October, 1777) in the northeastern part of Harriman and Bear Mountain. First settled in the 1760s and abandoned just over two hundred years later, here you’ll find the crumbled foundations of erstwhile houses, a mine once owned by Thomas Edison, still active and abandoned cemeteries, and more than enough stonework, stairs, silent paths and walkways to tickle and tease your imagination.

Some say that Doodletown derived from “dood tal,” Dutch for “dead valley.” Clinton, who is also a photographer and musician, prefers another, more lyrical explanation. “The song Yankee Doodle Dandy is how the town got its name,” says Clinton. “The British marched through the settlement, singing the song to taunt the residents, so the town was called Doodletown.” Clinton discovered the town himself in the late 1960s. “Back in high school, we used to drag race on the main street there. We knew there was an old cemetery there, and thought it would be a good place to spend All Hallows Eve. So I said, ‘let’s go find it.’ It was classic Halloween night .... The wind was blowing through the treetops. The moon was poking in and out of the clouds, and vines and trees were reaching up through the gravesites. We hung out there all night telling ghost stories and reading epitaphs on the headstones.”

"Behold me now as you pass by,

As you are now so once was I,

As I am now you soon must be,

Prepare for death & follow me.”

– an epitaph in Doodletown

If, however, you prefer to mix your hiking with one part climbing and two parts treachery and murder, the place to do it is up in Claudius Smith’s Den on the scenic Blue Disc Trail in the southwestern part of the park. “Claudius Smith was America’s first outlaw,” explains Clinton, He used this place (an intriguing natural shelter concealed and protected by over-hanging rock formations) as his headquarters.” From 1774 to 1779, Smith, a British sympathizer who, along with a gang that included his own three sons, stole horses, cattle and just about every other thing they could from surrounding homes and farms — sometimes killing innocent people in the process. “He went both ways,” says Clinton, “he stole from the Americans and sold to the British, and also stole from the British and sold to the Americans.

Smith was finally caught and hanged in Goshen in 1779.” As you stand among these remote and rocky recesses it isn’t difficult to appreciate the isolation that this hideout commanded back then. And if you close your eyes and listen, you can almost feel the presence of Smith and his gang, and hear them bragging about their pillaging while plotting their next ones. While you’re in the area, the remains of an old mine, the Black Ash, are nearby and worth seeing.

Or course, there are several more recent — and peaceful — examples of the past to hike to and through, including several marked and unmarked trails and roads that reveal lasting reminders of the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a Great Depression-era program created in the 1930s. The CCC and the hundreds of workers it employed were instrumental in the building of roads, camps, water and other projects throughout Harriman, including the infrastructure that created Pine Meadow, Welch, Silvermine and other present-day lakes. And to this day, Clinton and thousands of other overnight hikers have appreciated the presence of several unique CCC-built shelters, like Big Hill on the intersection of the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail (SBM) and Long Path, and Stone Memorial shelter on the SBM near Pine Meadow Lake. “These are beautiful shelters,” says Clinton, “and obviously built to last. Many have still-working fireplaces built into them.”

Which other trails does Clinton recommend for fall hikers? Pine Meadow Road, sensational in fall and easily accessible from the boat launch parking lot at Sebago Lake. “That’s one of my favorites. It’s wide, not difficult and it leads to some nice lakeside spots along the way.”

Also, the 1779 Revolutionary Trail in northern Harriman, which traces the route that Anthony Wayne’s American troops took in their drive to retake Stony Point from the British. There are other longer, more difficult trails in Harriman, too, including Suffern-Bear Mountain. The SBM is “a truly great trail, but,” Clinton cautions, “a difficult one that only experienced hikers should attempt because it’s all up and down. There’s next to no flat terrain on its entire 22-or-so mile length.”

But whichever trail you take, however many times — once, twice or like Bob Clinton, every chance you get — you should follow his advice to always take the right map, take your time and have fun. And while you’re there, you’ll heartily agree: You can’t top Harriman on Halloween or any other time in fall for an afternoon, day or weekend of fresh autumn air, great exercise, a little bit of history and a lot of fantastic foliage everywhere you look.

For more information on Harriman State Park, visit nysparks.state.ny.us/parks. For trail information, use the maps of Harriman Bear Mountain trails published by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference (available at Ramsey Outdoor Stores, EMS, Campmor and other stores, and visit nynjtc.org/view/hike.